Zynga Hits Back With Countersuit Against EA

Social gaming juggernaut Zynga has shot back at EA, blasting EA's recent copyright infringement lawsuit against it as "baseless" and filing a countersuit that alleges the company prevented its employees from leaving to work for Zynga reports the Los Angeles Times.

“Today we responded to EA’s claims, which we believe have no merit," read a company statement released last Friday. "We also filed a counterclaim which addresses actions by EA we believe to be anticompetitive and unlawful business practices, including legal threats and demands for no-hire agreements.”

EA sued Zynga in August for copyright infringement. According to the complaint EA believes that, with the development of The Ville, Zynga has “willfully and intentionally copied and misappropriated the original and distinctive expressive elements of The Sims Social in a violation of U.S. copyright laws.” EA's lawsuit also alleged that Zynga learned about EA's game designs by hiring key employees away from EA.

EA spokesman John Reseburg has rubbished Zynga's claims, noting both the fact that Zynga has been the target of several high-profile accusations of copyright infringement in the past and the number of high-level Zynga executives who have quit the company in recent months.

"This is a predictable subterfuge aimed at diverting attention from Zynga’s persistent plagiarism of other artists and studios," said Reseburg. "Zynga would be better served trying to hold onto the shrinking number of employees they’ve got, rather than suing to acquire more."